Cotton dispensing and moistening device



Jan. 18, 1955 J. a. RUDNICK ETAL 2,699,730

COTTON DISPENSING AND MOISTENING DEVICE Filed Aug. 13, 1951 f 1 25A? I II I I .L

INVENTOR5 BY if 4 ATTORNEY United States Patent() 2,699,780 COTTON DISPENSING AND MOISTENING DEVICE Joseph B. Rudniclt and Walter F. Metzger, Keyport, N. J. Application August 13, 1951, Serial No. 241,542 3 Claims. (Cl. 128-272) This invention relates to moistening devices and particularly to a cotton or gauze pellet dispensing device in which an antiseptic solution is provided for -moistening the pellets before dispensing.

Due to the fact that cotton and gauze is now supplied in pellet form it is used almost universally by physicians. In the daily use of these pellets there are various manners in which the physician moistens the pellet with an antiseptic solution before using same. -In some instances the pellets are simply held against the mouth of a bottle of antiseptic solution and saturated before being used. In other instances there are provided trays or containers of an antiseptic solution into which the pellet may be dipped before use. In another form of device now in use the pellet is sprayed with an antiseptic solution .by slight pressure on the container but in all instances it is necessary for the physician to use both hands in saturating the pellet with an antiseptic solution.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dispensing device for cotton or gauze pellets that permits moistening the pellets before dispensing same.

A further object of this invention is to provide a container to retain a quantity of cotton or gauze pellets and an antiseptic solution and in addition to provide the means of dispensing the pellets in a saturated condition.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a sealed container to retain a quantity of cotton or gauze pellets and an antiseptic solution so that the pellets may be dispensed in a saturated condition for use.

Other objects of this invention may be apparent by reference to the accompanying detailed description and the drawings in which Fig. 1 illustrates a dispensing container partly in cross section,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Pi 1,

ig. 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of the container partially filled with cotton or gauze pellets,

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a plan view or" the spring disc, and

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings there is illustrated an alcohol container 10 generally circular and can shaped with an open end. The container 10 is provided with a cover 12 that may be afiixed to the container 10 in a plurality of fashions either by a pressed frictional gripping fit or it may be threadably secured or it may be provided with a hinge, but in this instance we have illustrated an external thread on the container 10 and an internal thread on the cover 12. A gasket 13 is positioned between the cover 12 and the container 10 to prevent leakage. The cover 12 is also provided with an aperture 20 and an auxiliary cover 21 is provided to cover the aperture Zii. The cover 21 must be easily removable and a frictional gripping fit should be sufiicient to retain this cover in a tight fitting relationship. Within the container 10 there are four spacers 14 spaced equally about the inner periphery. A container 15 of smaller diameter than the container 12 is inserted within the container and will be retained in a spaced relationship from the inner wall of the container by the spacers 14. It is to he noted that the container 15 will rest upon a shoulder 16 of each spacer 14 and will therefore be retained in a spaced relation from the bottom of the container 10. The container 15 is formed with a perforated bottom 15A. The perforated bottom 15A and spacers or legs 14 may also be formed as a single insert. Another manner of accomplishing the same result is to pre-cast internal ribs in the container, the ribs being formed with a shoulder to support the inserted container 15. A coil spring 17 is provided and a pair of perforated discs 18 and 19 are also provided. The discs are mounted to either end of spring '17 in a parallel relationship as illustrated in Fig. 1. The discs maybe aflixed to the end of the spring by soldering, riveting or any other means of fastening. It is to be noted that the diameter of discs 18 and 19 and of the spring 17 are less than the diameter of the container 15 and the assembly of discs 18 and 19 and spring 17 are mounted within the container to rest upon disc 15A. Spring 17 must be provided with a predetermined degree of resiliency as will be explained later. The container 15 is fitted within the outer container 10 and spaced from the inner wall of the container 10 by the spacers 14 to provide an open area around container 15. When the device is inverted the alcohol or antiseptic solution will flow freely around the container down to the open end 153 of the container and thus will saturate the pellets mounted within the container 15. Of course when the container 10 is again turned to an upright position the alcohol solution will drip through the pellets and drain back into the lower fluid containing portion of the container 10. It is to 'be noted that bottom 15A of the container 15 is provided with a plurality of very small apertures. These apertures are purposely made smaller than the apertures in discs 18 and 19 so that when the container 10 is inverted the fluid will not pass through the bottom 15A but will take the path of least resistance flowing around the container 15 and of course when the container is set upright the fluid dripping through the pellets to the bottom 15A will of course drip through the apertures in 15A back into the fluid compartment. Referring to cover 12 and particularly the aperture 20 it is to be noted that the surrounding internal rim 22 of the aperture 20 is curved so that the pellets as illustrated in Fig. 3 may be dispensed through the aperture 20 without difliculty and especially without the obstruction that a square corner might present. In Fig. 3 we have illustrated the container with the alcohol or antiseptic solution in the bottom of container 10 and a plurality of cotton or gauze pellets 25 loaded within the container ready to be dispensed. It is apparent that the cover 12 may be removed and the pellets 25 may be loaded as a complete package. The loading of the pellets 25 naturally compresses spring 17 and after loading the pellets 25 the cover 12 may be aflixed in its closed and sealed position as illustrated. The dispenser is thus ready for use. The cover 12 must provide a fluid seal to permit inverting the container in use.

The physician using this dispenser may readily perform the necessary movements with one hand which are, first, the container 10 should be inverted, thus the alcohol or antiseptic solution will run down the sides of the container due to the fact that disc 15 has been spaced from the internal periphery of the container. The solution thus rushes down and will saturate the cotton or gauze pellets 25. The container may then be turned upright and set down for dispensing. In

J setting the container upright, the alcohol or antiseptic solution that has saturated the pellets will drain through the pellets and through disc 19 past the spring 17 and will drip through disc 15 back into the solution at the bottom of tthe container 10. The next operation of the physician is to remove the auxiliary cover 21 and reaching through the aperture 20 he may remove any of the pellets adjacent to the opening for use and of course these pellets will be in a saturated condition ready for use. Due to the fact that spring 17 exerts an upward force the pellets will be pushed upward toward the aperture 20 and as they are dispensed, disc 19 will continually advance toward aperture 20 until the last pellet has been dispensed when of course the container must be recharged.

It is to be noted that spring 17 must be of a very exact resiliency, that is, it must not exert too much force in dispensing the pellets and yet it must have sufficient force so that when the pellets are saturated they are not compressing spring 17 but rather spring 17 still exerts an upward force until the last pellet has been pushed adjacent to the aperture 20.

Although we have described this device for the use of a physician in which cotton or gauze pellets are to be saturated with an antiseptic solution before dispensing, this device may be used in a similar fashion for moistening any similar cotton, gauze, paper or other material that may be wadded or formed and pressed into the same relationship and thus dispensed in a saturated condition for use and this invention shall be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a moistening and dispensing device for cotton or gauze pellets, a first container having an opening in the top for charging, a plurality of upstanding spacers mounted around the inner periphery and resting upon the base of the first container, each spacer provided with a supporting shoulder equally spaced from the .end thereof, a second containerhaving an opening in the top thereof and slightly smaller than the first container to be positioned within said first container to rest on the shoulders of said spacers, the bottom of said second container being perforated, a spring With a first and second perforated disc mounted on either end thereof, said spring and perforated discs being of a smaller diameter than the second container and mounted within said second container to rest upon, the bottom thereof, a first cover threadably secured to the opening of said first container, said cover provided with a central dispensing aperture and said aperture surrounded by a curved shoulder on the under side of said cover, a second or auxiliary cover fitted to surround and cover the aperture in said cover, said second cover providing a fluid seal for said dispensing aperture.

2. In a device according to claim 1 a moistening solution within said first container to saturate said cotton or gauze pellets when said first container is in an inverted position.

3. In a moistening and dispensing device containing a moistening solution and pellets, a first container having an opening in the top for charging, an insert for said first container which comprises a plurality of leg members and a second container slightly smaller than said first container and supported by said legs and retained in a spaced relationship from the bottom of said first container, the bottom of said second container being perforated, a spring member and a pair of perforated discs one mounted at each end of said spring, said spring and perforated discs being of a slightly smaller diameter than the internal diameter of said second container so that the unit may be mounted to rest therein, a cover for said first container in which said cover is provided witha central dispensing aperture, said dispensing aperture provided with means to seal said aperture, said moistening solution contained in the base of said first container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 175,694 Gratz Apr. 4, 1876 672,994 Wacker Apr. 30, 1901 1,138,562 Herboldt May 4, 1915 1,226,799 Olena May 22, 1917 1,291,454 Fay Ian. 14, 1919 1,671,285 Hanna May 29, 1928 2,221,177 Berenson Nov. 12, 1940 

